Solitary Was Our Tomb
by J.L. Dexter
Summary: Deprived of a means to protect herself, to remember who she'd been before becoming a living, breathing vessel of a corpse, a spirit which had long since died. "A corpse can't teach anyone anything except how to be a corpse." Rafaela/Teresa-centric.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Claymore or it's characters; all rights go to Norihiro Yagi for creating such an awesome series. I just own the plot and theories divulged here within these words.

**Solitary Was Our Tomb**

Prologue

* * *

"_Hey Lady… are you an ordinary person?" _

_The question broke the meditative silence and her body stiffened, defensively. The clear water rippled and her reflection stared up at her, the trademark scar, her only reminder of the left eye that once presided there, distorting in a starburst pattern in the vacillating stream. _

"_I can sense only the slightest yoma energy from you. It's so small, as if it's about to flicker out."_

_Again the awkward silence was broken by the young, feminine voice perched at the edge of the tree-line and this time she turned her head ever so slightly to gaze back on the newcomer. A young girl-barely more than a child still-stood there, patiently awaiting an answer, a hidden expression of curiosity and excitement pulling at her youthful face. Blonde hair framed her delicate features in a lose ponytail and clashed gently against her gray and ivory bodysuit. _

_Finally turning to fully face the young child, she gazed outward, silver eye narrowed faintly, "Are you a trainee from the Organization?"_

_The tell-tale sign of satisfaction spread across the girl's pale face. "I knew it," she offered a genuine smile before directing another blatant question to the older woman. "How can you make your yoki aura fade out?"_

_Curiosity enveloped the girl's very reaction and was so tangibly obvious that she felt surely, should she reach out, she could touch it. But she offered no answer to the inquiry and instead closed the gap between them with deliberate steps, her bare feet raw and unforgiving against the dirt and sticks decorating the forest floor. "Do you have a sister?" _

_Confusion fluttered over the girl's face briefly, the question sounding so odd to her ears as her mind pieced the answer together with a shake of her pale hair. "No, I don't." _

"_I see," the older woman consented, her features drawing up in relief. A slim hand slipped from beneath her dark cloak and momentarily found a resting place atop the girl's head, the gentle tousling of hair turning into a reassuring pat that took the child by surprise. "Good." _

_Stepping away, she turned and drew the hood of her cloak up over her own blonde hair and proceeded back to a makeshift path that weaved through the trees, leaving in her wake the slightly baffled girl who had happened upon her in the woods. As she made to slip unnoticed into the forest background, the heavy shuffling of leaves caught her attention and from the corner of her eye she saw a large figure emerge into the clearing. He was a bear of a man, surly and bald, with a jagged scar arching above his left brow; he was clothed in rags pieced together to form a crude outfit with a leather belt cinched at his waist and his oversized legs were bare from the calves down. Unsure of the scene playing before her, the cloaked figure stopped and watched the interaction between the pair cautiously._

"_Hell, here you are again," he stomped determinedly toward the girl, a scowl settled deeply on his face as he growled with indignation at the sight of her. Reaching out a muscled arm, he deftly snatched the girl's hand in his own, the action eliciting a slight grimace from the child as he gave a single, quick tug. "How many times is this? Cut it out, you little brat!" _

"_Hey, wait-" she spoke with calm authority as she leveled her gaze at the man. "She skipped out of training and came here?" _

_The man, clearly not used to being spoken to so directly by an outsider turned a murderous scowl to her, his chapped lips turning into a snarl as he snapped back at her vehemently. "It's got nothing to do with you. Mind your own-" his threat suddenly died as the figure adjusted the hood enough for him to catch a glimpse of her face. He flinched as if he'd seen a ghost, though she could hardly blame him, for to him, a ghost was exactly what she had become. Recovering enough to find his voice, he feebly stuttered a name that resisted to be spoken, "Ra- Rafaela. What are you-"_

"_Just tell me." Rafaela's tone didn't allow any room for nonsense as she fixed the man with a glare, the starburst scar puckering tightly at the corners of her face. "She escapes from training sometimes and comes to _this _town?"_

_The man stood a good half foot taller than Rafaela but seemed less imposing standing before her as he maintained an iron grip on the girl beside him to prevent her from running off again. Feeling the tension building up at the base of his neck under the hooded woman's glare, he gave a curt nod in answer to her question. "Yeah, no matter how many times we scold her, she doesn't listen. She's a problem child."_

_Rafaela turned her steely gaze downward to the girl, impressed to see her staring back up at her with just as much conviction written on her face. _I don't believe it… even if it is the closest town to the Organization, it's still far away. And on top of that she had to come through a wilderness full of yoma and wild beasts. This child…_ she allowed her thoughts to cease as the man once more began pulling the girl behind him roughly. _

"_Come on now. I was told to hurry and bring you back, let's go." His rough movements caused the girl to protest loudly at the mistreatment as she idly shuffled behind him, unwilling to comply and forcing the man to tighten his grip on her wrist as he dragged her along. _

_Rafaela watched indifferently, her expression unreadable as the pair crossed her path and headed for the opposite route. Just as they reached the edge of the clearing where it met the wooded foot-path, Rafaela turned her head the slightest bit in their direction, the question forming on her lips before they disappeared._

"_Girl… what's your name?"_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:**

_Solitary Was Our Tomb_ is basically a side story that I want to explore involving the encounter between an exiled Rafaela and a young Teresa who was still in her training days with the Organization. So yes, this prologue is basically a re-write of Volume 12-Chapter 64, _Kindred of Paradise_ of the manga. Its word for word from the manga translations I found with a bit of description added courtesy of myself to give the reader a better visual of the scene happening. Especially if you aren't familiar with the manga- and no this story doesn't contain spoilers, so rest assured.

**Warning: **This story is **NOT** a Rafaela/Teresa pairing fic. If that's what you were looking for, you may as well turn back now, cause you won't find that here. It's a Rafaela/Teresa-centric fic nonetheless, but it strictly explores the kinship of comrades that could have been had this meeting taken place when Rafaela wasn't in exile.


	2. Meet Me HalfWay

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Claymore or it's characters; all rights go to Norihiro Yagi for creating such an awesome series. I just own the plot and theories divulged here within these words.

**Solitary Was Our Tomb  
**

Chapter One: Meet Me Half-Way

(Note: Any story portion here on out seen in _italics _denotes the past. This story will also switch between first and third person, respectively, depending on past or present scenes. That is all.)

* * *

"Teresa."

The name echoed accusingly off the cave walls before finally dying in the whispering wind as a figure emerged into the shadows, a faint halo of afternoon sunlight silhouetting them in an ethereal calm. Allowing for silver eyes to adjust to the contrasted darkness of the cave dwelling, they offered a slight smile in my direction as I sat brooding by myself in the dimly lit area.

"Don't you think this game has gone on long enough," I suddenly prodded, a hint of sarcasm lacing my thick tone. "Teresa?"

A slight scoff of indignation was the reply as the shadowed figure moved deeper into the cavern, the slow and deliberate steps allowing the sound of her metal boots to bounce back and forth in the silence that hung heavy in the dank air.

"Try to contain your excitement there, Rafaela. I know you're just bursting with joy at seeing me." The remark was just as sarcastic and bitter as the question it was answering as Teresa finally came to rest mere feet from where I sat huddled atop a lopsided stone bench wedged into the corner of the room. "Besides, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

I narrowed my gaze at her, my one remaining silver eye squinting against the permeated dark as I watched her stand there, her own silver eyes burning frightfully bright as she held the stare. _Just like always, _I mused dryly at the ironic notion of the scene. _She never once failed to capture my gaze head-on, and never once has she ever broken it. _A low growl rumbled across my throat and I tipped my head farther back to show she had my undivided attention. The sooner she went on her way, the sooner I could get back to my brooding. "Well… are you going to inform me of the intentions of your visit this far off the beaten path, or do you plan on making me guess?"

Her back settled against the nearby wall as she leaned to lazily and adjusted muscled arms in a comfortable position across her chest. Her lips curved ever so slightly into her trademark smile, the one characteristic that seemingly set her apart from the rest of the ranks, though truth be told, it wasn't a very unparalleled characteristic unique to just any one of the Organization's warriors. They all adopted a variation of a smug grin at some point or another. Teresa was different, by all accounts, by any standards the Organization could compute, which was why she was regarded so highly by those inferior to her, and even by those superior to her as well.

"There is no reason, really." It was a defined statement, leaving no room for any doubts in my mind that she spoke the truth. Her visit was simply a spur-of-the-moment after-thought. Yet, somewhere in the back of my subconscious I felt a slight nagging- no, maybe it was more of a pull now that I think about it; it was definitely not benevolent enough to be just harmless nagging.

"I don't believe you."

She didn't seem overly startled or dismayed by my calling her bluff and instead widened the smirk that had nearly faded on her lips. A calloused hand swept strands of blonde behind her shoulder flippantly as she straightened her posture and canted her head in my direction ever so slightly. "Now why doesn't that surprise me."

Once more her tone was so twisted with sarcasm that I took the time to peer at her carefully before giving the smallest hint of a shrug. Her facial features faltered slightly and I took notice of the smoldering fire blazing dully behind irises of corroded quicksilver. I felt the corners of my lips stretch into a frown as a distant thought filtered back through my mind while I continued to stare at the young woman standing before me who was tentatively disguising her self-inflicted sorrow behind a façade of a battle hardened warrior. For a moment, just a moment, I was taken back to a point in time nestled nearly 10 years in the far-stretched past; a time when, as a newly exiled failure flung from the cold embrace of the Organization, I forced myself to become a living corpse, with no ties or affairs with those who made me. A time when, a single chance encounter spurned a desire in me so deep to right the mistake I had created as well as nurturing the deep rooted ambition of not giving up on my humanity.

oOo

_Rafaela sat huddled against the bright morning sunlight, the hood of her heavy woolen cloak protecting her night vision in her one dilated pupil. She fumed silently, mentally aggravated with her current predicament at having been cast aside from the Organization on the speculation that she was a liability and a failure to herself and her fellow comrades. The dank quiet was broken with a disgruntled scoff and she turned her ruined gaze to her empty hands. _Empty. Vacant. Bare. Void. Stripped of the one thing that truly belonged to me, that made me whole. _The thought ran a non-stop loop of mental anguish in her mind. Her hands felt so empty without the familiar weight and coldness of the steel that was her sword. Not only was she robbed of her rank and seniority, but her blade-HER blade-too had been taken away, that one item that had been her sole source for physical survival. Stolen, deprived of a means to protect herself, to remember who she had been before becoming the living, breathing vessel of a corpse, a spirit which had long since died and then left to fade into nothingness. True, the Organization hadn't been the one to originally deprive her of those things, but neither had they tried to restore that which had been lost._

_Muffled sounds suddenly threw her train of thought to a crashing halt as she instinctively jerked her hand to her right shoulder, a reaction that would have once had her brandishing a sturdy, polished broadsword with a familiar grip. Upon remembering that she no longer had that luxury of drawing her blade in times of uncertainty, she instead launched herself to her feet, a hewn stone from the cave floor clutched tightly in her fist. _Is it… the Organization? Have they changed their minds and decided to get rid of me after all? _Her thoughts raced distractedly, the distress clearly visible on her pale face as she sensed an unfamiliar presence ever drawing nearer to her location. _

"_I know you're out there! Show yourself!" Her tone remained demanding though she had to force it to stay calm and composed in the face of this new threat. There was a sudden burst of yoma energy as the unknown yoki aura flared brightly, confused and wary. Gripping the stone harshly between her augmented fingers, Rafaela shifted her balance, ready to attack or block any advances that may be made. As she was steadying her erratically beating heart, a shadow fell across the stone and dirt littered cavern floor and she immediately propelled herself forward in a full frontal assault, intent on the knowledge that if the Organization had infact issued her execution, she would at least go down with a fight. _

_Launching her lithe body from the dark recesses of the crevice, her one functioning silver eye darted about impulsively, searching the shadows for the enemy. From the corner of the same dancing eye she caught a flash of gray tangled with ivory; an indistinct yelp of surprise and disbelief later and Rafaela managed to deflect her assault at the last minute as she came nose to nose with burning silver set gently in a youthful, pale face. Uttering a curse beneath her breath, Rafaela danced back several feet, her posture still spring-loaded and unable to uncoil at a moment's notice. Standing guarded amidst the shadows of the rocky interior, a limber body poised to strike back and a feral grin set against a seemingly innocent face._

"_You!" Rafaela all but screeched the word. Shaking angrily as she worked her muscles to relax, she bore her glare into the clear gaze of the stead-fast figure standing opposite of her. "You- what are you doing here-"_

"_I want you to train me!" The sound of a young girl's voice echoed off the walls, determination evident in her words as if her very life depended on it. "I want you to teach me, teach me how to make my yoki aura yield to me, to become one with it like you have."_

_There was a strong conviction in the demanded request and silver blazed fiercely in the black, the connected gaze with Rafaela never faltering or disappearing. Mere seconds passed as the seasoned warrior stared awkwardly at the child, this near exact replica of herself at that same age. Rafaela turned her head, offering her unwelcome guest an up-close and personal visual of the starburst scar covering the area where her left eye should have been. The girl stood unfazed by the tactic and instead glared more persistently, the muscles along her jaw working feverishly as she prepared to make her demand known once more. _

"_I want you-"_

"_Go away!" Rafaela growled roughly and turned her back. _

"_-to train me."_

Damnit, this girl is persistent and becoming a pain in my…

"_I want you to train-"_

"_I heard you!" Rafaela snapped back firmly. "But the answer is still NO. Now, for the last time, girl, go away."_

"_I have a name. It's Te-" the childish tirade was short lived as a soft tone thick with consternation cut off the dying name on the girl's lips._

"_Teresa." Muffled through grit teeth, Rafaela spoke a little more gently than intended as she cut her gaze back to the girl standing defiantly behind her. Shaking her head in exasperation, and massaging the bridge of her nose, Rafaela sighed in mock defeat. "Look, I don't know how you managed to find me out here, nor do I know why you feel so hell-bent on pestering me with a task I have no intention of fulfilling."_

_Teresa pursed her lips in annoyance as she kept her gaze leveled at Rafaela. "I told you, I want you to train me how to harness my yoki the way you do."_

_Skeptical at the girl's request still, Rafaela found herself perplexed at the motivation and reasoning behind Teresa's insistence that she, the exiled former number 2, teach her how to harness her yoma energy when she could easily pick it up during the assigned training sessions. _Well, _Rafaela thought ironically, _if only she'd stop skipping those training sessions.

"_It's not challenging enough." Teresa suddenly broke the uncomfortable silence as if she had been able to hear Rafaela's exact thoughts and upon noticing the older woman's startled expression added, "They won't teach that level of yoki control to lowly trainees, and besides, they won't even take the time to properly train us troublemaker's anyhow." Her face lost some of its determination as she finally cast her eyes downward in what Rafaela doubted was nothing more than a display of her acknowledgement at her own mischief's reaped rewards rather than genuine remorse of the truth. _

"_I see," Rafaela conceded at last, nearly at a loss for words at this young girl's blunt honesty and perseverance. "But the fact remains that I am not qualified to train you in such advanced techniques. A corpse can't teach anyone anything except how to be a corpse."_

_There was barely a moments hesitation as Teresa's head jerked up excitedly, "Then teach me! Please!" Her enthusiastic reply caught Rafaela off guard, surely this small, naïve slip of a girl knew not what she was asking. But before she was able to protest further, Teresa's voice filled her ears once more, "Give me the chance to prove to them that not all troublemaker's are useless causes; that I am _not_ a complete failure."_

_Teresa's conviction echoed in Rafaela's ears, _I am _not _a complete failure. _Memories from the past spurned her tormented mind as she recalled how after Luciela's awakening, the Organization deemed that she, Rafaela, the keeper of Luciela's soul and humanity, was to blame for the disaster. Her will had been too weak; she had been a failure. Her thoughts were suddenly consumed with these tragic notions of the past and as she turned her gaze down in Teresa's direction, she found she was unexpectedly face to face with the ghost of herself at that tender young age. Balling the hands at her side into fists, Rafaela stared past the brink of non-existence as one single concept continued to batter against the fortified barriers of her mind and heart. _No, we're not all failures, and together, we'll prove it to them.

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

This side story really is just a test to see if my muse has what it takes to churn out the real Claymore story building in my imagination, so really, this is all a trial and error kind of thing. That, and I really wanted to explore the possibilities of that chance encounter between Rafaela and Teresa that Norihiro Yagi left unwritten, because I think this particular path for these two characters has a lot of potential for later events and theories. Speculation, really. Suppose the answers hidden in this plot will reveal themselves as the following chapters come into existence. =)


	3. Just Beneath the Skin

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Claymore or it's characters; all rights go to Norihiro Yagi for creating such an awesome series. I just own the plot and theories divulged here within these words.

**Solitary Was Our Tomb**

Chapter Two**: **_I Feel it Deep Within, it's Just Beneath the Skin_

Ψ_  
_

"Shield your right side."

_Clank!_

"Don't let your guard down."

_Kashink!_

"Focus!"

_Thwack!_

The blow landed crudely, the flat side of the blade successfully sweeping the opponent's feet out from beneath tired legs and sending them tumbling rear-first into the winter washed dirt. Not bothering to rise from their position, the small form attempted to regulate their breathing with shallow gasps, veiled silver eyes staring blankly up at the clouded sky.

"You won't be able to stand in battle for long if you continue to blindly throw your yoki around like that," a crisp voice berated gently from the sidelines.

A shadow cast itself over the heaving form blocking out the warmth of the sun and disturbing the vision overhead. Silver glowed dauntingly from beneath a veil of blonde bangs, matching all the intensity of burning mercury as the looming figure peered downward at their opponent. Finally a sigh escaped the depths of annoyance as the shadow turned away allowing the faded morning sunlight to hit the defeated figure full in the face. A grimace was the only sign of acknowledgement slowly followed by a soft fluttering of eyelids as the writhing form twisted ever so slightly to allow the sunlight to completely bathe their numb body in its radiance.

"In order to harness the full potential of your yoma energy, you must first learn to suppress your yoki to the point that your opponent can no longer read your signature," again, the crisply edged voice broke the silence, this time allowing a snarl of aggravation to slip into their tone for added measure. "Until you have mastered this technique, you will not be able to harness the ability of sensing yoki properly during a fight."

"I know."

The voice that responded after a lengthy amount of silence sounded oddly defeated and bitter and the shadowed figure cautiously turned to gaze at the form laying spread-eagle upon the ground to allow herself ample enough time to scrutinize the scenario before nodding her head in a clipped manner at the despondent child. They just simply lay there, imprinting the dirty snow, eyes closed and face upturned to the sun, completely motionless and adopting a lazy posture as if to blatantly disregard the words of advice all together. The only notion of the child having even listened, or responded for that matter, was the barely noticeable gesture of a tightly fisted hand grasping the leather-bound hilt of a weathered sword with a palatable hatred.

"Get up." Rafaela's tone practically dripped with disdain as she issued the command, her hand gripping the hilt of her own sword fiercely. For a moment, she let her irritation get the better of her and she ground her teeth in exasperation at the lack of discipline her pupil was displaying. _Five months she's been training like this, opting to completely disregard the Organization at all costs. Five months; and she is barely any closer to mastering yoki suppression as a trainee of her status should. Why are you holding back? _Rafaela felt her tension fade as the near exhausted figure rose to meet her, sword gripped firmly in calloused palms. _You're playing a dangerous game here, Teresa._

"Now," Rafaela instructed, her gaze narrowing at her young rival. "This time I will only attack from head on, so you won't need to worry about protecting your flanks. However, you will have to work on fully suppressing your yoki through my provided distractions. I want you to evade my attacks rather than countering them while suppressing your aura to the smallest fraction you can achieve."

Not a sound was uttered as Teresa took a defensive stance, her pale face scrunched in concentration as she prepared herself for Rafaela's next training regiment. Sword gripped in sweaty palms, she planted her feet firmly and waited for the older warrior to engage her, all the while focusing on suppressing her yoki to the barest percent she could manage. Her small frame trembled with the effort and she gradually felt her aura fade, the static energy in the surrounding atmosphere slowly dissipating into a slight tingle.

Rafaela gave a curt nod of approval, satisfied with the progress Teresa was displaying this time around. Adjusting the weight of her sword with a twist of her wrist, she narrowed her gaze at her opponent once more in readiness before vanishing in a spray of snow and mud.

* * *

Pale fingers roughly swept damp bangs aside, the long fringe an annoyance in her one good eye. Across from her, mirroring her actions stood Teresa, her expression unreadable as she relaxed her grip on her sword. Watching with mild amusement Rafaela peered across the expanse to the younger warrior, noting how her posture was beginning to show signs of exhaustion; not that she could blame the girl, for they had been at it nearly all day. And had come so close to going beyond that point where Teresa would have fully mastered suppressing her yoki while still being able to read her opponents aura no matter how little was being used to counterattack.

Shadows danced hazily across the forest floor, stopping to admire the two women in their silent dance and occasionally to tease both with soft caresses. Both Rafaela and Teresa failed to notice these advances and instead sprang forward toward each other bravely, the atmosphere tingling with small traces of yoma energy as their swords met in a scream of metal against metal. Rafaela threw her brute strength into a wide swing, the sheer momentum repelling Teresa a fraction of a step as she countered blindly, her blade whistling through the air towards its target. The sound of steel grinding together echoed harshly in their ears and the moment was shattered as they broke the encounter, each retracting half a step before clashing together again most violently. A prickling sensation danced along every nerve in Teresa's body, the feeling teasing her mental awareness to the point where it was nearly unbearable, and in the shifting afternoon light she glimpsed the hazy outline surrounding Rafaela's upper body. It distorted the whole of her torso and extended well past her right shoulder, the faint traces of energy blossoming across her forearm before curling solidly at her fingertips.

_Relying on your yoki already, are you? _Teresa mused dryly as she assessed Rafaela's stance and adjusted her own to counter the impeding attack. Without a second to spare, the lithe body of the older woman rocketed across the small gap separating them and released the yoki induced assault, statically charged air screaming and warping in the wake of the biting sword. Feeling the slight change in pressure Rafaela was applying in her yoki, Teresa easily avoided the onslaught, managing to react enough to parry the well controlled maneuver as the two blades collided harshly.

Allowing a second to gloat, Teresa let a triumphant grin overtake her pale features upon her achievement of having countered the strong attack, and therefore completely missed the pivot in Rafaela's step until the woman's blade was crashing down upon her viciously, steel tearing into fabric and flesh alike before cresting a wide arch that stopped mere inches from Teresa's startled face. Blood bubbled from a minor scratch etched across her right cheek to match the crimson that seeped excessively from a wound gnawing at her upper left thigh, successfully making her a frightful excuse of a mess.

_Damn, she's still so much faster, _Teresa mentally kicked herself for having let her guard down in such a manner and just by catching Rafaela's glance she knew her mentor's thoughts were echoing the same admonishments at her conduct. _That's gonna cost me. _

"What do you call that move you did just now, hmm?" Rafaela's clipped tone was sarcastic as she quirked an eyebrow in her charge's direction. "I needn't have to remind you to never let your guard down," she affirmed, withdrawing her blade and watching Teresa's body slacken in response.

_Just my luck, _Teresa casually dragged a hand across her face to wipe away the faint traces of blood left from Rafaela's latest lesson. _Even after training under her this past year and a half, I still can't best her in a sparring match. Hell, what was I thinking asking this of her; her defenses, strength and raw skills are too much for me to match equally. I was such a fool-_

"Again."

* * *

**Author's Corner:**

Because this chapter ended up being so long by the time I finished it, I decided to split it into two separate chapters to sort of make this story a bit fuller (and therefore making this chapter extremely short). I'm semi-satisfied with this one, though it lacks some length and action; that will come in the next installment! This chapter is to show the progression of Teresa's initial training (roughly a time-period of 2 years, give or take) as Rafaela's pupil, and the next chapter will finish up the training days as Teresa moves into being a ranked warrior for the Organization. =) Hope this one wasn't too much of a disappointment. *winces*


End file.
